Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-07-26
WOUNDED In BATTLE.
SEVERAL PATHETIC STORIES OF
FIELDS OF CARNAGE.

FIELDS OF CARNAGE.
RecolIections of an Officer in the War of
the Rebeliion-A Nervous Wounded
Man-The Ambulance Corps-Deserted
Comrades.
The military discipline as to the wounded
was strict--in theory theoretically a~help-
less wounded man was to lie where he had
fallen until the stretcher bearers from the
ambulance train picked him up and carried
him off; no sound man was to leave his line
during an engagement to succor the hurt.
Among the best regiments this discipline was
nearly always enforced, as far as practicable.
But among the poorer regiments and the
newer regiments the contrary was apt to be
the case. An extraordinary amount of kindly
feeling was often manifested among these
regiments for their wounded On one occa-
sion, in 1864, the writer saw four men from
new regiment, then in the first line of bat
tie, tottering back under the burden of
strapping fellow, who, on being examined
by provost guard, proved to have but a
painful bullet scratch in the side, and whom
these four were hastily removing-along
with themselves the chance of further
danger
There were times, however. when the un-
harmed might without detrment to the ser
vice assist their wounded to some place of
shelter Late in the afternoon, during the
battle of Antietam, the writer's brigade.
after having done its share of the bloody
work at the sunken lane of RouIets farm.
was i'll the second line of battle and unoc
cupied. A comrade was wounded in the leg.
and the writer, with three others, picked him
up and carried him off toward large barn
that served as battlefield hospital On the
way the little party, in spite of the thick
white smoke that overhung everything, were
mark for Confederate battery at the
Dunkard meeting house, and several shells
were consequently exploded about their ears.
A fragment of a shell crushed both legs of
one of our party. The poor legless man was
then picked up by the other remaining two
who went on, while the writer struggled on
then as best he could by himself with the
man first wounded
WOUNDED AND NERVOUS
The weather was warm Sept II and the
wounded man-one of whose arms was
around the writer's neck-was heavy. Half
way to the barn the writer, nearly exhausted,
insisted on stopping TO rest But the bullets
we're wh1zzlng in all directions through the
air as huslly as bees in Il white clover patch.
and the wounded man was therefore very
nervous. 1t used, by the way, to be a sav-
ing i'll the army that when d man is wounded
ht Is whipped Perhaps the nerves of some
nen are unstrung by sudden PAIN At all
pppl,ES the y lif,, lol
white poplar leaf i'll the breeze at every gin
of bullet and begged to be helped on with
out any delay. To the writer's expustulation
That be must have time to recover his breath
| the wounded mans rejoiuder was: "I'm a
| married man; You are not Of course il
makes no difference whether you are killed
| or not; you have no wife, This was said in
| all seriousness, for the man was utterly in
| capable OF humorous sentiment
The ambulance train itself was an import
ant adjunct to the army Early in the war
two ambulance wagons accompanied each
| regiment the pattern being a long, two
| wheeled cart drawn by one horse, the interior
effording bed space for two reclining persons.
and Eeg, generally supposed by the soldiers
to be full of brandy, hung rather ornament
| ally beneath the step at the rear The cover
was black and the entire appearance of the
| Vehicle was sad and unde1takel-lke The
| moral effect on some of the raw soldiers of
| these funereal looking machines following
| them into action was decidedly unwholesome
The pattern was borrowed from some Euro
| pean service. But it soon gave way to the
two horse, four wheeled spring wagon, which
has ever since been the accepted type in this
| puuutI.V and iC Ynyky far,,iIi,,- 49,.
cities These wagons were organized into q
train, to each wagon, besides its driver, tive
men being assigned as stretcher bearers il
action and hospital nurses at other times
THE AMBULANCE CORPS.
This ambulance corps was distinguished by
a wide green band enclrcling the sleeve, al
though the little flags which fluttered from
the tops of the ambulance wagons and tbt
larger ones which We're displayed at the iield
hospitals were of deep orange On thu
march the ambulance wagon was IA sort ot
omnibus to carry the lame and the halt VIII,
bore passes from the surgeons of their reci
nents emitting fhenl on account of sore fee
or sickness, to ride if possible But at tbs
first sign of battle these men were turned
out and sent to join their regiments. and tn,
lengthwise seats gave place to mattresse,
spread for the reception of the wounded.
The suffering Of such of the helpless wounded
as, for one reason or another, were left wher
they had fallen must have been great. I'm
nerved as they were by their weakness ape
the shock of their pain, they had still to en-
dure additional shocks from the anticipation
of new injuries, for, during the battle, troop
were constantly moving about, horses gallon
ing in all directions, sometimes a battery O
artillery would come numbering across tb
| ground, while, without intermission, ever
form of proJectlle, great or small was fyin
uncomfortably near or was striking the cart
close by, throwing up clouds of dust The
there was the thirst, most excruciating of al
annoyances, especially in warm weather, an
the pain itself of the wounds But when +
all this there succeeded night and darkness +
shut the poor fellows out from sympatheti
search, the intensity of pain, physical an
mental, was reached. No wonder they cried
J and their cry at night was one of the saddest
most pitiable cries Imaginable. Will any @
j, the Second corps who We're there ever forge
the cries of their wounded comrades on fh
. night of the battle of Bristoe tOct "a 1863
o when i'll the course of the maneuvers of tb
campaign the corps was compelled to stea
off on nptoe from the front of the ConfeC
: crates! 1t was like the cry of deserted babe.
yet it went up from the throats Of men who
few hours before were as brave as any tha
ever carried a sword or a musket-T r Ga
!, wey i'll Chicago Herald